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Changing lives with chess

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    Team inspires students to be successful

  • Duration 3:18
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At first it seemed like the odds were stacked against them.

Started with his little group of kids got a couple boys and they came in and started playing and we decided that we would try going to the nationals because it would be great if experience for the children -- -- team travels with us aid to a delicious cup.

And we -- -- again this goes off venues was the way.

And a Brooklyn Cassel is the inspirational new documentary about that winning chess team they prevailed even when budget cuts threatened after -- programs like chest.

But with help from hard working students and mentors the team that rose to the top -- to share this great story.

-- -- -- jury the filmmaker John Galvin assistant principal and chest were Nader at I S three -- in Brooklyn.

At Patrick Johnson one of the students in the -- welcome to all of you know.

Getting here to see guys -- want to want to make a film about -- well I didn't necessarily want to make a film about chestnut -- I discovered that on this title one school in the harder Brooklyn had the best -- -- test program in the nation.

That surprised me and so highlighted -- yeah well I think we are often expect title one schools which are schools with.

Poverty levels above 70%.

To perhaps excel at something like chess and I think that -- -- a lot of stereotypes out there about how inner city public schools perform.

And this school was kind of the opposite of that and it mr.

Gelman how did it that happened how -- chest take off at your school.

Our team started as just a small chess club like many schools have and about ten years ago we took our beginners to the nationals in Tucson Arizona.

And to our incredible surprise our team won and so nothing breeds success like success and ever since then we've.

Been building the team until last year our middle school -- -- the high school championship of the United -- All my gosh Patrick -- -- success stories what do you like about playing chess.

Will since I've -- should be -- it helps me learn to concentrate more.

Like it teaches you to slow down take your time like take a deep breath and just keep on trying so you think it's changed your life.

Did it definitely has.

That's incredible and so what you know we know that that the sad part doctor at mr.

governor about your school is -- it's facing.

A million dollars in budget cuts it's facing the possibility you won't have.

Money to attend the chess tournaments how -- gonna go forward.

Well you know that there's lot of talk right now but the fiscal cliff.

But -- -- we face the fiscal cliff every single school years so ever since 2008 when -- when the economy soured we've really had to find ways to.

Get to keep the program going so we do a lot of fund -- we asked donors we ass hole on the support.

It's my job to make sure that the kids still have that right to to compete at the -- -- highest levels.

-- what's the lesson here.

There's a lot of lessons I mean you know I think that if kids are given the resources to succeed.

They can meet all of our expectations but when those resources are taken away.

It's really hard -- to go back and say why aren't you performing large excelling in so I think that.

Is an example of you know that.

The test program is example of that and that's something I learned from making the film well Michelle mcinnis told Brooklyn castle we recommended to everybody it's a great story congratulations on doing so well now in high school districts in behind us thanks for -- thank you -- not sure.

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